The Unknown World
by skyfox-wolfchick
Summary: "I stood up and looked around. A murmur arose from the doppelgangers. Then their attention turned to me. Just then they attacked, knocking me off my feet. I reached for my gunblade but to my surprise, it was not there. 'What' I asked myself. 'Where-' The doppelgangers attacked again before I finished my sentence." (NO O.C.s ARE IN THIS STORY)
1. Darkness

Disclaimer: We do not own any characters to come or any character.

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**Chapter 1**

Darkness

Darkness. That's all I can see. Where am I? What is this place? I don't feel any ground beneath me, but I'm not falling. What is that voice I hear? It's a very faint, deep voice. I can't understand it…

"… New… The Unknown World… I command everything… You are… Mercy…"

Who are you?

"… Puppet Master…."

Where is this place?

"This is The Unknown World" The voice was clear now.

What do you command?

"Everything. All of the living and non-living things in The Unknown World."

What is The Unknown World?

"My domain."

Do you have a real name?

The voice chuckled. It was chilling and unsettling. "That is a detail that only I need to know."

Where did you come from?

"I have always existed."

Why am I here?

"That reason you will need to figure out on your own."

…..

"Lightning Farron. Welcome to The Unknown World. I look forward to your demise." Evil laughter echoes through my mind.

The darkness dissipates and I awaken on the ground. Dark and light shades of red surround me. I also soon notice to be surrounded by a large amount of enemies. They all seem to be copies of other people. Dopplegangers.


	2. The cave

**Disclaimer: We do not own any characters. **

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**Chapter 2**

The Cave

I stood up and looked around. A murmur arose from the doppelgangers. Then their attention turned to me. Just then they attacked, knocking me off my feet. I reached for my gunblade but to my surprise, it was not there. "What?" I asked myself. "Where-" The doppelgangers attacked again before I finished my sentence. They tore and bit at my arms and legs, ripping several layers of skin, drawing blood. I tried fighting back, throwing punches left and right to no avail.

All of a sudden, they stopped attacking and looked towards the deep red sky. They then began to retreat. One by one the numbers depleted, making the area seem larger. I was alone yet again. My arms and legs bled from their onslaught. I need to get out of here. I need to find shelter, a place to stay for the night (if it's even night). I stood the best I could and walked blindly into the unknown.

I don't know how long I've been walking but its felt like an eternity, though, its probably only been a few minutes. My legs felt heavier with each step I took. I needed to find a place to rest and fast. I was losing a lot of blood. Unable to move any longer, I dropped to my hands and knees. I sit on the ground wondering how much longer I had to live before I bled out completely. Then I began to lose focus and my vision became blurry.

I heard the clicking of what sounded like a shot gun. I looked up slowly and questioningly.

"Who are you?" asked a quiet yet threatening voice. From what I could see, it was a young woman wearing a pink dress and a pink bow. I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out. "Hey," she said. "Are you alright?" Again, I tried to say something but I was unable to do so. "Here," said the woman. Instantly, I felt relief all over my body. She must've used a potion or something. "There. Are you ok now?"

I slowly rise to my feet. My vision becomes clear again and I see the woman is closer to me than I thought she was. She was only a few feet away aiming a shot gun at me.

"Thanks…" I just barley whispered. I was a bit shaken by the abrupt attack I had just experienced. "Why are you aiming at me…?" I asked her, a slight tremble in my voice.

"We need to get out of here." said the woman lowering her weapon. "Follow me. I know a safe place to hide. You look like you're about to pass out." She walked over to me and held out her hand. I was confused. She was just aiming her gun at me and now she's offering me her hand? Was she tricking me or was she being sincere?

"Hurry up already! This place isn't safe!" she told me as she grabbed my hand and sprinted off. I barley kept up with her, my feet still refusing to move properly. "What's your name?" asked the woman. "I'm Aerith."

"Lightning," I responded without thinking. Aerith seemed aggravated by my slow pace. I tried to run faster but my wounds started to hurt again. I ignored the pain and ran alongside her.

Soon after, we made our way to a cave. The girl by the name of Aerith stopped here so I guessed this was where the safe place was. I rested against the cave wall and slid down it to sit on the ground. Aerith was out of breath and so was I. We sat there catching our breath for a minute. My mind was buzzing with questions. But one question stuck out.

"Is this the Unknown World?" I asked once I finally caught my breath. Aerith turned to look at me.

"Yes," she said. "This is a world created by a man named the Puppet Master. He controls everything. The doppelgangers, the weather-"

"Hey," another voice startled me. "You're back." said a tall man. He walked over to Aerith and gave her a hug. "Who's this?" he asked turning to me.

"That's Lightning."

"Is she safe…?"

"I'm… Not sure yet." Aerith then turned to me as well. "Are you a doppelganger? Or are you like us?"

"I'm not a doppelganger. That much I'm sure of." I said.

"Hm…" Aerith sounded as if she was thinking. "Well you obviously need some taking care of. Come on." She pulled me to my feet and led me deeper into the cave. The man followed us. I then heard the sound of crackling flames and smelled smoke. A fire. When the fire came into view, I saw another man tending to it.

"How's the food coming, Cloud?" asked the man who was following Aerith and me.

"Almost done." said the man who was supposedly named Cloud. It smelled of fish in this part of the cave. Aerith sat me down on a rock that was surprisingly comfortable.

"Hey Zack," Aerith called out. "Do we have any more potions?"

The tall man, Zack I guess, nodded and left the area but then came back a few moments later with about 3 bottles of potions. While Aerith took care of my injuries, I looked around. We were in a large cave with a small pool of water over in the far corner and a little waterfall pouring into it. That must be where they get their fresh water and fish. The cave was a bright blue-ish gray color. It wasn't red like everything else on this planet was.

"Um…" I mumbled.

"Yeah?" Aerith asked.

"Why is this cave blue but everything else is red?"

"The Puppet Master hasn't found this place yet. I guess you could call it an oasis. It's untainted by his darkness. It is the only safe haven for us to stay in."

I nodded.

"The food is ready." Cloud proclaimed. He stood with a plate-like rock with fish on it and he set it on their makeshift table, also made of rock. They made their way to the table, but Aerith stopped and looked at me.

"Do you want some?" she asked. I looked up at her. "Because there's enough to go around. You can have some if you want." She continued to the table. I was debating whether or not if I should go eat with them. I was very hungry but it didn't seem like they had enough, even though Aerith told me they did. I saw one of them stand from the corner of my eye and I looked up. It was Cloud. He walked over to me with a rock plate with a fish. He handed it to me. "Here," he barley mumbled. I looked at him and then the plate and finally I reached up and took it. "Thank you." I also mumble. He stood there for a minute and then he walked away.

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Wolfy: Please review!

Fox: Tell us what you think!


	3. The Oasis

**Disclaimer:**** We do not own the characters in this fanfic. All belong to Square Enix.**

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**Chapter 3**

**The Oasis**

Right as I was about to fall asleep after we ate, Aerith called me over. I opened my eyes and looked at her. She was motioning for me to follow her. I stood and walked in the direction she went. Zack and Cloud were sleeping soundly. I didn't know how they could sleep like they were. It was so uncomfortable in here and there was the fear of the doppelgangers finding us. I wonder how long they've stayed here. When I reached Aerith, she tossed me a machine gun. I caught it, almost dropping it at the abrupt action.

I looked up at Aerith but her gaze was focused behind me. I turned. Zack and Cloud were sitting up, their attention turned to the entrance of the cave. Not sure what to do, I stood there. Aerith had her gun aimed at the entrance and Zack and Cloud had their weapons pointed in the same direction. Zack had a spear and Cloud had a pistol. Not a very good weapon choice for something as dangerous as the doppelgangers. Footsteps echoed through the cave. An overwhelming emotion of fear shot through me. The footsteps stopped but no one lowered their weapons or let their guards down.

"Who's there?" Aerith shouted. "Show yourself!"

"Wait…" said Cloud. "Is that…?" suddenly a young woman ran from behind a rock and hugged Cloud. The woman had dark brown hair. She was fairly pretty and she seemed to know Cloud quite well. Aerith lowered her gun and Zack his spear.

"Tifa, how did you get here?" Cloud asked as he hugged the woman back.

"I was just wandering around and I found this cave," said Tifa. "I'm so glad I found you."

"Aerith and Zack are here, too." Cloud told her.

"Oh," Tifa said, uncaring.

Aerith shifted her weight in an uncomfortable manner. "Are you ok?" she asked. "Are you hurt at all?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine." said Tifa, turning to Aerith.

"So, how is it that you're perfectly fine even though you were out there all alone?" asked Aerith. She made a really good point. I barley lasted 5 minutes out there without being attacked by those damn doppelgangers. Tifa was silent. Zack gripped his spear tightly and moved towards Aerith. Cloud, although, didn't move. Tifa takes Clouds arm and holds it tightly.

"What are you implying?" asked Tifa angrily. The cave started changing colors. It started getting darker and red. Tifa, then, claws into Clouds arm with her fingernails.

"Ah!" Cloud called out. "Tifa, what are you doing?" he asked. But she didn't answer. She stood there with a demonic look on her face. The cave had gone completely red now. Aerith raised her gun again.

"You aren't Tifa!" Zack yelled. Then, Tifa attacked. She jumped onto Cloud's back and started biting and clawing at him. Cloud yelled out in pain. Why wasn't he doing anything? Why wasn't _**I**_ doing anything? There was a shot and Tifa fell to the ground, a hole in her head. There was no blood, only black goo. I turned and Aerith had the gun pointed. She was looking down sadly.

"Zack," Aerith said quietly, her voice sort of shaky. "Go help Cloud."

Zack looked at Aerith with concern. Aerith dropped the gun and sat on the ground. Cloud slowly walked over to her, sat in front of her, and then hugged her tightly. Aerith started sobbing and hugged him back. I watched as Zack tended to Cloud's injuries. I stood there watching, waiting for someone to say or do something. I was surprised to see Aerith break down so fast. She seemed to be the strong type, not to show her sadness, kind of like me. I wondered if her and Cloud were close to Tifa in any way. The real Tifa, I mean.

After 10 minutes, Aerith calmed down. Cloud stood and helped her to her feet. She wiped away a few stray tears then looked around as if just noticing the change in color.

"We need to get out of here." she said, her voice still frail.

"Agreed," said Zack. "We should split up."

"Why?" I asked. "Why would we split up? It means a greater chance of one of us getting hurt."

"Because we have a better chance of finding someplace to stay. We'll be fine." Zack turned to Aerith. "Be careful." He told her.

"You too." She said as they hugged. Cloud and I stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. After they hugged, Zack and Cloud left. Aerith turned and picked up her gun again. I began to wonder about her relationship with Zack.

"So," I began. "What's up with you and Zack? Are you guys, like, a thing?" Aerith's faced lit up with a smile. She nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "We've been dating for a few years now." She was a lot happier than she was a few minutes ago. Zack, obviously, made her happy.

"What about Tifa? Were you close to her?" I asked. Just as soon as her smile appeared, it disappeared. Her mood changed back to sadness.

"She was my best friend. We traveled together for a while. Then we got separated and Zack, Cloud, and I ended up here. I'm afraid that she also ended up here but separate from us and that she's hurt badly."

I was silent. I didn't know how to reply. She could be right. Tifa could very well be near death if she's alone. I didn't last long. "So when you shot that doppelganger, it hurt didn't it? To see your best friend dead like that…"

"Yeah…" she said sadly. I… probably shouldn't have brought that up… I felt bad for saying it. I then found myself hugging her. She was caught by surprise by my action as well as I was.

"I'm sorry," I said to her. Why am I acting so strange, so caring? Aerith hugged me back.

"It's fine. It's not you fault. We should keep moving though." Aerith let go and continued walking. I followed, still feeling guilty for my previous question.

We came upon a floating sphere of white light. It was mystifying. I wanted to touch it. I reached my hand up slowly.

"Don't touch it!" Aerith called out. I stopped and looked at her. "We don't know what it could do!" I relaxed my hand and dropped it but then I felt my finger accidentally touch the mysterious sphere. We were then surrounded by this white light. It consumed us and we were transported to a different location. It was colorful, not red like the other place. It looked like a Japanese garden with a blue bridge over a small pond. Birds were chirping and it was very peaceful and serene. The sun shone through a Japanese cherry blossom tree. It smelled sweet and fresh. This was unusual but I felt safe here.

"Welcome to the First Oasis," I heard two of the same voice say. Aerith and I turned to find two Vanille's standing in front of us, each wearing different masks. The one on the left was wearing a kitty mask and the one on the right was wearing a demon mask. The demon mask was off center only showing half of her face. Under the mask her expression was blank. The kitty mask was white and very simple. The demon, however, was very detailed with horns on the top. Its mouth was open in a twisted smile. The eyes of the mask were yellow with black pupils. The Vanille's were holding hands and standing side by side.

Aerith held her gun in a ready position. "Who are you?" she asked them.

"I'm Kat," said the Vanille with the kitty mask.

"I'm Dev," said the Vanille with the demon mask.

"Do not,"

"Be threatened." Dev finished Kat's sentence. They seemed to be in sync with one another. Like they one person separated.

Aerith lowered the gun. "Why did you bring us here?"

"To prepare you," started Dev.

"For what is to come." finished Kat.

"What is to come?" I asked curiously.

"The defeat of the Puppet Master," said Dev.

"And you are going to do it." Kat said.

"Why us?" Aerith asked.

"Because you are the only ones capable of doing so," Kat told us.

"Everyone else is either dead or on the Puppet Master's side." Dev finished.

"Dead…?" Aerith squeaked. "W-what about… Zack… and Cloud…?" I hoped for Aerith's sake that they were fine.

"They are fine," said Kat.

"For the moment." Dev stated.

"F-For the moment? What do you mean-?"

The world began to fade apart as Dev started talking. "The power cores are the source of the Puppet Master's strength. Find them and destroy them. There are three in total, each controlling a different part of his powers. Destroy each and he shall be week enough for you to defeat him." The world faded completely and we were back on the Unknown World again in a new area from where we were before.

Aerith and I, in the midst of our confusion heard a weak and frail voice call out.

"Aerith...?" It said. We turned.

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Fox: Review please!

Wolfy: Tips would be nice! ^^


	4. The First Power Core

**Disclaimer:**** We do not own any of the character. All characters belong to SquareEnix.**

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**Chapter 4**

**The First Power Core**

"Aerith…?" a frail and weak voice asked. We turned. Tifa was standing there leaning on a rock. She was badly mangled. Bruises covered her arms and she had scratches and bite marks covering her from head to toe. Blood stained her clothes and skin, a lot of blood. She looked as though she was about to keel over and die. And still, Aerith aimed the gun at her. "What do you want?" Aerith asked coldly.

"Aiming a gun… at old friends?" Tifa chuckled then she frowned. "Why, Aerith…? I thought…" she winced as she took a deep breath. "I thought we were friends…"

Aerith's face softened as she realized that this was, in fact, the real Tifa. She dropped the gun and ran over to her, pulling her into a tight hug. Tifa winced but hugged back. She smiled at her. "H-Hey…" she said. "How have you been…?"

"Don't worry about me. We need to take care of you!" Aerith then cast cure on the dying woman. I watched as she laid Tifa on the ground gently and continued healing her. They had a certain closeness to them, kind of like sisters. This reminded me of my sister, Serah. I hoped she was ok.

"Lightning," Aerith called to me. "You stand guard while I finish healing Tifa."

"What am I on the lookout for…?" I asked. Right after I asked this I felt extremely stupid. Aerith slowly turned to me and looked at me like I was from some other planet.

"What do you think you're looking out for? Moogles?" I looked down then turned away.

"Aerith," I heard Tifa mutter. "Don't be mean." She chuckled. Aerith sighed.

"Sorry…" She said quietly.

I smirked. Tifa and Aerith were so different in personality, as I expected. It was strange how when Aerith was around this Tifa woman, she acted kinder.

Eventually, Aerith and Tifa fell asleep, leaving me to stand guard alone. Tifa wanted to take shifts but I said no because both her and Aerith needed rest, Aerith, because she used most of her energy healing Tifa.

I began to nod off but I remembered I needed to stay awake to protect the others. Suddenly, I heard a sound coming from the distance. I stood up slowly and positioned my gun ready to shoot. A girl about 17 peaked out from behind a big rock. She had light brown hair to her shoulders and a long skirt that went down to her ankles. It was blue and her shirt was white. I lowered the gun.

"Who are you?" I asked her, the gun still ready to use if needed.

"W-Where am I…?" She asked, completely avoiding my question. She looked terrified.

"I'm not too sure myself." I said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Yuna," she said shyly as she walked closer. I could now see that she has one green eye and one blue eye.

"I'm Lightning," I said, "Nice to meet you." I walked forward as well. "Where'd you come from?"

"I was… um… just… wandering… around…" she said hesitantly. I looked back at Aerith and Tifa wondering if I should go back. This girl was acting suspicious and I didn't like it. I turned back to Yuna.

"Hold on a second," I told her. I turned and was about to start walking towards the other two. Next thing I knew I was on the ground, a searing pain in my back. I turned my head and Yuna was on the ground too. She looked at me with frightened eyes.

"Are you ok?" she asked me with concern in her voice. I winced as I sat up.

"What was that?" I heard Tifa say. I turned my head and Tifa was sitting up trying to wake Aerith. Aerith opened her eyes and looked up.

"What is it, Tifa?" she asked as she sat up. I looked forward to tell Yuna something but she was gone. I was confused. Did the doppelgangers take her? I was distracted by the pain in my back. I started getting lightheaded.

I heard footsteps coming towards me and Tifa kneeled down next to me.

"Are you alright?" She asked, very concerned. It surprised me how caring this woman was and she didn't even know my name.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Aerith said, worried, as she kneeled next to me as well. "You're wounded. Let me help."

"NO!" Tifa exclaimed. "You just used almost all of your magic on me! Please let me do it!" She pleaded. Aerith hesitated for a second and then nodded at Tifa. Tifa then smiled and began to cure me.

"In the meantime," Aerith said, "you need to get some rest." I hadn't noticed but I was incredibly tired. I haven't slept since I arrived in the Unknown World which was probably about two days ago.

"Yeah." Tifa agreed, still healing. "Just go to sleep. We'll be here to watch over you. Don't worry." She smiled reassuringly. I sighed. I knew they were right. I needed sleep badly. But how could I sleep with so many unanswered questions: Who was that Yuna girl? Why'd she run off? Why wasn't she injured when I was? My suspicion grew the more I thought about it. This girl wasn't a doppelganger but she was something else… inhuman. I began to doze off while I was in deep thought and, eventually, I fell asleep.

Soon after I awoke, we started off for the First Power Core. I debated whether or not I should tell Tifa and Aerith about Yuna. I decided against it because I didn't want them to worry.

"So Lightning," Tifa asked, interrupting my thoughts, "Where are you from?"

"Uh…?" the abruptness of the question took me by surprise.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked.

"Um-"

"What's your favorite movie?"

"…"

"Do you have a boyfriend?" This woman just wouldn't stop with the questions. And I thought I asked a lot of questions.

"Um… Cocoon, blue, I don't have one, and no." I answered. But then a question crossed my mind. "What about you, Tifa?"

"What about me?" she asked confused.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" I don't know why I thought of that but I remembered cloud's reaction when Aerith killed the doppelganger Tifa. It was sad. Tifa blushed.

"Not really." Tifa said shyly.

"What do you mean not really?"

"Well… There's this guy I like-"

"It's Cloud," Aerith butt in. "She's hopelessly and unconditionally in love with him!" Aerith smiled for the first time since she talked to Zack. Tifa blushed furiously.

"AERITH!" She whined. "I'm not that-… Ok well… maybe a little bit!"

"You mean a lot?" Aerith smiled wider.

"Ok yes…" Tifa's face was now completely red. "He's just so…" She trailed off. I chuckled softly at her shyness. Aerith laughed. I haven't heard her laugh yet. She seemed more relaxed around Tifa, like she wasn't worried about what would happen next. This is actually the most relaxed I've been since I got here. Too bad it won't last very long.

But then Aerith's laughing stopped. She looked forward.

"What is it Aerith?" Tifa asked.

"We're here." She said as she pointed to a large technical-looking pillar. This was the First Power Core.

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Fox: Sad news, guys!

Wolfy: We're both grounded sadly.

Fox: We won't be able to work on this for a while.

Wolfy. BUT IT'S NOT CANCELED! I SWEAR!

Fox: It'll just take a while to get the next chapter out.

Wolfy: So review and tell us what you think!


	5. The Second Oasis

**Disclaimer:**** We do not own final fantasy or it's characters.**

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**Chapter 5**

**The second Oasis**

The power core stood tall in front of us. This is what we had to destroy, according to Kat and Dev. One of three. I looked at Aerith. She seemed to be contemplating a plan to destroy this thing. None of us dared to step closer. We knew something was awaiting us. We could feel it. We just didn't know what it was.

"So," Tifa said breaking the silence. "Why are we here?"

At first I thought she was crazy. Why else would we be there? We were there to destroy the power core to weaken the Puppet Master. But then it occurred to me that no one told her what we were doing. She wasn't there when Kat and Dev explained it. Aerith, still examining the power core from a safe distance, explained to Tifa the reason we were there and our journey to come.

"There are two others," said Aerith. "We have to destroy those, too." Tifa nodded.

"Oh," she said. "So how are we going to destroy it?"

"Can we shoot it until it breaks?" I asked, deciding to contribute to the conversation.

"No," said Aerith turning to me. "It has to be a well-planned out-"

We hear a grunt and the sound of metal on metal. We turned. Tifa had gone up and started punching and kicking the thing! Only one question stuck out in my head: Why weren't her hands breaking?

"She has metal on her gloves and shoes," Aerith explained as if she read my mind. "That's why it doesn't hurt her. She's a very skilled martial artist." Aerith shook her head. "But that doesn't mean she can go up to the power core without any caution!" Aerith took a step towards Tifa to stop her but was stopped by something flying past her. She backed up.

"What was that?" I asked. I positioned my gun, ready to shoot. We looked at what had flown past Aerith. It was sticking out of the ground. I wasn't quite sure what it was but it looked like a giant throwing star. A 4-point shuriken is what Aerith mumbled under her breath. I looked at her. The look on her face was sad. "What's wrong?" I asked her.

"I know that weapon," she said. "It's-" We heard the sound of footsteps coming towards us fast, like someone was running. I heard Aerith call out in pain as something rammed into her back and she fell to the ground. I looked around but I couldn't see anything. I, then, felt a pain in my back and I fell to the ground as well. Aerith sat up.

"Where are you?" She yelled out. "Show yourself!" The mystery person then stepped out in front of us. It was a girl. She was about 16 with short black hair and brown eyes. She was very short. She glared down at us. I heard Aerith sigh. She stood.

"Yuffie," she said. Yuffie walked past her and grabbed her shuriken. "You're a doppelganger?" Aerith asked. Yuffie didn't answer. She just glared at us. I stood.

"Is she another person you knew?" I asked. Aerith remained silent. She only stared at Yuffie who stared back at us. The only sound was the sound of clashing metal as Tifa continued to beat up the power core. I didn't think she could hear any of this conversation, nor did she know Yuffie was here. Her back was turned. Sparks and metal were flying off of the power core. She was doing some major damage to it.

Yuffie turned her head and looked at what the commotion was. A demonic smile crossed her face. She sprinted towards Tifa. Aerith and I gasped.

"TIFA LOOK OUT!" Aerith screamed. Without turning, Tifa ducked right as Yuffie thrust the throwing star at her. It stuck into the power core. She pulled on it to try to get it out but it wouldn't budge. Tifa then stuck out her foot and spun around, tripping the short girl. Yuffie fell on the ground but then she put her hands on the ground and did a back handspring, kicking Tifa in the process. Tifa stumbled back.

"Tifa is strong," Aerith began. "She could beat Yuffie any day. But as for the doppelganger Yuffie, I don't know. They tend to be a lot stronger than the actual person, smarter, too, in this case. We need to distract Yuffie so Tifa can defeat the power core."

"Why can't we just attack the power core?" I asked.

"Tifa was doing more damage to that thing than our guns could do combined." Aerith said. She held her gun tightly. "I really don't want to kill another friend. . ." She said quietly to herself. "But I have to. . ."

"Aerith," I said. She looked at me with sad eyes. "It's not really Yuffie. Just keep that in mind. It's a copy. It doesn't matter what you do to it. Just kill it!" Aerith smiled then nodded.

"Right," she said. "Let's go." She ran up and stood in front of Tifa who had been knocked to the ground. I could tell she was getting tired. She probably wasn't fully recovered from her previous injuries either. I followed Aerith and stood next to her. I turned my head half way to Tifa.

"You keep attacking the power core. We'll distract the doppelganger." Tifa then nodded and climbed to her feet. She continued punching and kicking the power core. Yuffie, obviously angry now, grabbed her shuriken and pulled it out. I heard Aerith swallow hard. I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be fine," I said. "Don't worry." She nodded again and aimed her gun at the small ninja. She then pulled the trigger. Yuffie held up her shuriken and blocked the oncoming bullet. She kicked off the ground and dashed towards Aerith and me. I dove to the left and dodged her attack. Aerith however put her gun in front of her and blocked the attack. Yuffie and Aerith were now face to face pushing on each other to gain power over the other. Yuffie pushed hard and Aerith fell to the ground and her gun fell from her hand. It skidded away from her, out of her reach. She looked at it and then back at Yuffie, a scared expression on her face. Yuffie, however, was smirking. She was stepping on one of Aerith's arms to restrict her from movement and her knee was digging into her stomach. Aerith, obviously, had a hard time breathing. She struggled against the ninja, to no avail.

I rose to my feet then froze. I didn't know what to do. I completely lost all knowledge of what I had to do. I was scared for Aerith. I clutched the gun in my hand and aimed at Yuffie. I aimed at her head. Yuffie raised the shuriken. At the same time I fired my gun, Yuffie threw the shuriken down with incredible force. I closed my eyes as I heard the painful screams of both Aerith and the doppelganger.

Yuffie had fallen to the side. She had died. The bullet went straight through her head. But not before the shuriken made contact with Aerith. There was a gaping hole in her stomach. When Yuffie fell over, she must've still been holding the shuriken because there was more than just a hole. There was also a cut running from the hole to the side of Aerith's body. Blood surrounded her. I ran over to her and knelt to her side.

"Aerith," I called to her, taking her hand. "Aerith say something!" She looked up at me through her tears. They ran down the side of her face. Now I really didn't know what to do. I looked up at Tifa who was staring at Aerith on the ground, a hand on the power core. She clenched her fist then angrily punched the core one more time, this time it was more powerful and full of anger.

"DAMN IT!" She shouted. Once her fist contacted the metal, it began to tremble. It then started collapsing around her. She jumped out of the way right as a huge piece of metal hit the ground where she was standing. She crawled over to Aerith and me. Tears stained her face.

"Aerith," she said her voice shaky. Aerith was breathing heavily. I felt like it was all my fault. If only I had shot the gun sooner. . . Suddenly, we were engulfed in a bright white light. I shielded my eyes. I heard the sound of waves instead of crashing metal. When I opened my eyes, we were on a beach at dusk. The sun was buried under the horizon but the sky was still painted with oranges and reds. I looked down at Aerith. She didn't seem to notice the change in location.

"Welcome back," said a familiar voice. Tifa and I looked up. It was Kat. She was standing in front of us facing the waves. She knelt down at Aerith's head and held a hand over her body. A ball of light came from the palm of her hand and slowly fell onto Aerith. Her wound then lit up to a bright white color. The color soon faded and the wound was gone. I was taken aback. Never before have I ever seen magic of this magnitude. Aerith opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times. She sat up quickly and looked around.

"Where are we?" She asked. She was greeted with a hug from Tifa. She hugged her tightly. Aerith had a shocked look on her face. I smiled at the gesture. I could tell Tifa was worried and scared for her friend. I was glad things went how they did. I looked up at Kat who was patiently waiting for this to end. She looked as though she had something important to say.

"I'm so glad you're ok, Aerith!" Tifa said through her tears. Aerith smiled and patted her friend on her back.

"Me too," She said

"Ehem." Kat got our attention. Aerith and Tifa turned to face her. I stood and dusted the sand off my legs. Aerith and Tifa did the same. "Congratulations," said Kat. "You have defeated the first power core. And you've managed to find a friend along the way." She gestured to Tifa. "But I bring some terrible news." I couldn't see her face but her voice sounded upset. She held up the palm of her hands and a white sphere appeared above them. Then and image appeared. It was two guys. No. Not just guys. It was Zack and Cloud. They were walking down a path.

"So Cloud," Zack asked. "What'll you do if you actually meet the real Tifa here?" Cloud blushed slightly.

"I don't know," he answered. "Probably just. . . hug her. . . and never let go. . ." He blushed a little more. I heard someone shift their position beside me, probably Tifa getting bashful again. Zack smiled.

"Dude, why don't you just ask her out or something?" He asked. Cloud sighed.

"Ok, One: she isn't here. And two: she probably doesn't feel the same." Zack scoffed.

"Are you kidding, bro?" Zack kind of yelled. He opened his mouth to say more but then he stopped and fell over. Dead. Cloud kneeled by him calling his name. There was a deep gash in his back.

"ZACK!" Cloud yelled. Soon after, Cloud spit up blood and fell next to Zack, also dead. Blood leaked in and around them and coated them in it. Then one of the Tifa doppelgangers came into view. She was licking the blood off of her fingers. She then ran off. The sphere turned white again and it disappeared.

Silence filled the area. The only sound was the sound emanating from the waves and the occasional seagull. I didn't dare turn my head. I didn't want to see their faces. Aerith has been through enough emotional trauma already. She didn't need this. And Tifa, poor woman, witnessed her love get killed by none other than herself. Or what looked as though to be herself.

"I'm terribly sorry," Kat said. "You are all welcome to stay until tomorrow morning. Your wounds will be healed completely by then. Again, I am very sorry. . ." Then she walked off.

* * *

**Wolfy: **We are both still very very grounded... T.T


End file.
